I love, love, love first-time assignments for publications, and “7 Surprising Chain Restaurant Fat Bombs” was my first piece for MensFitness.com. Check it out on MensFitness.com or via PDF here!

Warning: The labels I uncovered might freak you out. Thankfully there are alternatives to each one that you can order up and still feel good about yourself in the morning. And we all want that.

 I’ve covered some very fun and practical topics for BudgetTravel.com lately, and I thought I’d round ’em all up right here:

• 10 Biggest Travel Ripoffs

• 10 Travel Apps that Save You Time and Money

• Top 10 Travel Mistakes and How Not to Make Them

I’m heading to L.A. this week and then New Orleans soon after that, so I’m going to take all of this expert advice to heart! (Especially the Travel Ripoffs piece  — no one wants to be taken for a ride when you’re supposed to be enjoying the ride.)

Enjoy, and maybe I’ll see you on a flight!

I think I fell in love with two porn stars this past month: James Deen and Sasha Grey, two incredibly smart and talented performers. Online fashion magazine Lifestyle Mirror has had me do a few pretty cool things for them that I’m still completely gobsmacked I got to write.

James Deen taught me how to sext. Sasha Grey talked to me about her new book, The Juliette Society, and French films. And I recommended a slew of erotic novels to add to your nightstand, specifically 11 Steamy Summer Beach Reads.

All around, I’d rate the great time I had working on these pieces an A-plus. Or would it be an NC-17…?

Not to get too breathless about it, but sometimes I can’t even believe that I actually get paid to write the things I do. This past Monday, I got to write a recap of the penultimate episode of my favorite television show, “Mad Men,” for — wait for it — RollingStone.com.

The process was very new to me and utterly exhilarating. The time pressure, the beauty of the episode, my hands flying across the keyboard, documenting the growth of my favorite TV characters for one of the most prestigious outlets in the world… Again, not to get too breathless, but what an awesome experience.

Read the story online at RS.com or in PDF form — I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This is by far one of the coolest stories I’ve had the opportunity to report this year. I had the chance to go to art collector/gallery owner Frederico Sève‘s gorgeous Upper West Side apartment (on sale now!) and interview him for XOP Magazine about his home, his collection of Latin-American art, and why he loves art.

The whole experience was completely transporting, and I’m really proud of how this story came out. Check it out via PDF here or online here.

In the same issue of the mag, I interviewed supermodel Barbara Berger about her favorite places in New York City. Spoiler alert: She is supercool and down-to-earth. If I had to pick an interview subject I want to be best friends with in real life, it would probably be Barbara. Read the piece online or as a PDF on my site.